Innovations in electronics and technology have made it possible to incorporate a variety of advanced features on automotive vehicles. Various sensing technologies have been developed for detecting objects or monitoring the surroundings in a vicinity or pathway of a vehicle. Such systems are useful for parking assist, lane departure detection and cruise control adjustment features, for example.
More recently, automated vehicle features have become possible to allow for autonomous or semi-autonomous vehicle control. Sensors for such systems may incorporate LIDAR (light detection and ranging) or RADAR for detecting an object or another vehicle in the pathway of or otherwise near the vehicle.
Environmental conditions may be limiting on the availability or effectiveness of such sensing technologies. For example, in colder climates it is possible for ice or condensation to form or collect on the sensor window or casing. In those cases, the LIDAR transmission, reception or both may be compromised or even blocked entirely.
Known heating technologies to prevent ice build-up tend to introduce additional complications or interfere with proper LIDAR sensor operation. For example, known heating circuits or coatings for windows or other surfaces interfere with or block LIDAR transmission through the window and, therefore, are not useful with LIDAR sensors. Other known options include separate heaters but those introduce other complications, such as providing a mounting location and wiring to power and control the heater.
The availability and reliability of LIDAR sensing technologies for automotive vehicles would be enhanced by a solution to the problem discussed above.